The Dare
by chelseyb1010
Summary: I dare you. Those were the first words she said to him, and the last. And they changed his life forever. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** Yes, I totally do own Harry Potter, so I can do whatever I want with it. What's that? You don't believe me? Fine, then.**  
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**The Dare**

_I dare you._

They were eleven, and those were the first words she said to him. Living up to the name no one was allowed to call her ("Call me that one more time, and your bum will become well acquainted with thirteen inches of hazel," she promised Will Scabior, making good on the threat thirty seconds later), she was petite and elfin, popping up as quickly as she tripped over her robes.

"_What is it?"_

_Charlie and a fellow Gryffindor approached the gaggle of first years gathered around one end of the Hufflepuff table._

"_Dr. Filibuster's latest," answered a tall Ravenclaw he didn't know._

"_Someone should chuck it at the Slytherin table," she urged the group, giggling. They had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and he already knew of this tiny sprite of a girl, she of the multicolored hair and bright eyes dancing with mirth. And then, for a reason neither of them knew, Tonks looked right at Charlie. "I dare you."_

_No one could have turned down a challenging grin like that. So he took the firework, and he waited until the Great Hall was full, and he threw it. And when McGonagall was yelling at him, she showed up, taking full responsibility. That was their first shared detention._

_First of many._

Charlie stumbled out of bed with a yawn and a stretch. His nights were too restless and his mornings too early these days. After kissing pink hair and murmuring words of love, he headed straight for the coffee pot. Function was little to none until that first steaming cup.

Tonks was that way, too, although it took him a while to discover it. They'd fallen into the same group of friends after that first meeting, playing Quidditch and hitting up Hogsmeade, pulling pranks (Tonks) and trying to be the voice of reason (Charlie). She had returned to Hogwarts at thirteen suddenly tall and gangly, tripping over the long limbs she wasn't used to having, but it wasn't until sixteen that she came into her own. And then his life changed.

"_What's up, Chuck?" Tonks dropped into the seat next to him amid the laughing crowd at the Three Broomsticks._

_Once he had found the hair to be slightly ludicrous, the daily changes a distraction. Now he could barely restrain himself from running it through his hands. "Hi, Tonks. What are you going to do today?"_

"_That depends. What are you going to do today?"_

_Charlie was no stranger to the affections of girls, but none of them had that lilt to their voices. "Me? Why would it depend on me?"_

_She laughed. "Oh, Charlie. I've been waiting all year." She leaned closer, stroking the side of his face, and he noticed their eyes were the exact same shade of blue. "I dare you, you know."_

"_Dare me to what?"_

_Her lips were inches from his ear. "I dare you to fall crazy in love with me."_

Breakfast was a simple matter for a child of Molly Weasley, which was good because Tonks had never been domestic. Charlie got bacon and scrambled eggs going in short order, quickly compiling a large stack of buttered toast.

He'd accepted that dare as well. They were young and passionate and mad for each other. His family adored her, from his father who enthusiastically interrogated the half-blood about her Muggle relatives to his youngest sibling Ginny, who always wanted a sister. Her father called him 'son', and her mother said they reminded her of Mr. Tonks and herself. When they finished Hogwarts, they moved into a tiny flat in Diagon Alley. She went into Auror training and he began an apprenticeship on a dragon reserve in Wales. They had little time together and even less money, but they were happy. The decision to join the Order of the Phoenix was made instantaneously, each knowing the other's thoughts without asking.

_Charlie was a rock when his father was attacked by the snake. He had a mother and five – no, four, Percy was a prat who couldn't even bother to visit – younger siblings that depended on his strength. When his mum finally returned with the good news, Tonks pulled Charlie outside while the others made breakfast._

_Perched on the snowy steps outside Grimmauld Place, she held him while he finally let himself breathe. For the first time he realized what his family's intimate involvement in the resistance against You-Know-Who could mean. It's that that made him decide to do something he'd been planning for Christmas day._

"_It's terrifying, innit?" she murmured against his shoulder. "How close it was."_

"_I don't know what I would do without Dad. Mum, Bill, any of them – or you, Nym." He pulled back, looking into her crystal-clear purple eyes as he fingered a small box in his pocket. "I couldn't live without you."_

_She held his gaze. "I don't want to."_

_He dropped to one knee. "Nym, I –"_

"_Spend your life with me, Charlie, I dare you," she interrupted before realizing what he was doing, her eyes and mouth round in a perfect 'O'. "Oh, bugger me. Keep going."_

"_Well, never mind now. You ruined it." He stood, brushing the snow off his trousers. There went a month's planning._

"_No, truly, I'm sorry. Go on. Please?"_

_He quirked a smile. He should have known Nymphadora Tonks would muck up a romantic moment. Foregoing the knee and speech and such, he pulled the black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to the small diamond ring. "I'm so in love with you, Nym, I can't even put it into words. Will you marry me?"_

_Eyes twinkling and mouth grinning, she pulled herself flush against him, whispering into his ear. "Yes."_

At eight, Will was old enough to rise fairly quickly once woken. Callie, three years younger, was another story. Charlie had to whisper and wheedle before she finally emerged, puffy-eyed and wild-haired. Breakfast was normally a subdued affair as the family woke. His eyes roamed his children constantly, noting not just the color of Callie's hair or Will's freckled face but whether their expressions were downcast or they spoke in a muted voice. The moments were fewer and further between, but still he watched.

In motherhood Tonks found her true calling, beyond even her work as an Auror. They wasted no time after the war was over before Will was on the way. Both Charlie and Tonks truly believed having William and Calliope Weasley were the best decisions they'd ever made. The kids adored their mother, and Charlie thought life was never better.

_He had never been more scared. Duels and dragons and proposals – nothing was more terrifying than the tiny little person in his arms, entirely dependent on him. He wasn't going to cry. Grown men didn't cry. Dragon-keepers didn't cry. Charlie Weasley didn't cry._

"_He's perfect," came his wife's voice, tired but full of awe._

"_I know," Charlie repeated, barely above a whisper._

"_It's okay if you cry." How she had enough energy to tease him after _that_, he'd never understand. "You're still a big, strong man, Charlie. A big, strong man who's a daddy now." Oh, bugger her. "I know you're trying to hold it in. Go on, cry. I dare you, my lovely husband, father of my baby."_

_He never could resist her dares. Charlie gazed at the tightly wrapped bundle topped with a sparse dusting of red hair, and when the little mouth opened in a sudden sigh, one lone tear rolled down Charlie's cheek._

He was never as good as his wife at doing all the little tasks required to get the kids out the Floo for school. Sometimes he mixed up the sandwiches in their lunches, and Callie's hair was never quite right, and once Will went off wearing two different shoes. Charlie did the best he could. Making sure they wore their jackets, for the mornings were still chilly, Charlie dropped his kids off at Madam Patil's Primary School in Surrey, promising to be there when they were released.

Tonks retired from the Auror Office when Will was born, devoting her time to the two lives they created. Her enthusiasm surprised both of them, but she found as much passion in raising children as she once had in hunting dark wizards. She was occasionally asked to do a guest lecture at Hogwarts or the Auror training program, or provide her expertise on a particularly difficult case in the DMLE, and that was enough to keep things from becoming too routine. Charlie made a point to come home in time for dinner every night with only the exceptions of rare emergencies. Life was perfect.

_It wasn't fair. That was all Charlie could think, as he knelt by the bed in St. Mungo's and clasped her hand in both of his. She had fallen off her broom and fought on the front lines of a war and taken down dark wizards all on her own. And now his wife, his beautiful Nym, the woman who lit up his life and gave him two amazing children, was clinging to life by a bare thread, all because she was in the wrong apothecary at the wrong time with the wrong apprentice and the wrong ingredients._

"_Charlie ..."_

_His head snapped up so quickly his neck popped. "Nym?"_

_Her eyes, their natural dark blue, tried to focus on him, and Charlie had to stop himself from squeezing her hand too tightly. "Where are … the kids?"_

"_Your mother took them home. Callie was getting fussy. I can Floo her –"_

"_No." The strength of tone surprised and pleased him. No matter what the Healers said, he knew she would make it. He knew. "I need to tell you something."_

_He kissed her knuckles. "Anything."_

"_Promise me you won't interrupt?"_

_He didn't like this at all. Tonks at her best was laughing and teasing, not somber as a stone. "Nym, you need to rest."_

"_Promise me, Charles Septimus Weasley."_

_He swallowed. The mum voice. "I promise."_

_She closed her eyes briefly before continuing. "Make sure Will and Callie know me." The words struck him like a punch to the gut, and he opened his mouth to stop her from traveling this road, but she gave him a look. "They're so young … I can't depend on memories. You'll know which stories to tell."_

_Charlie struggled to keep his voice from breaking. "Nym, please …"_

"_I'm not finished." Her breathing became labored. "I've always loved you, Charlie. You're a once in a lifetime man … and I've never regretted anything. But – and I want you to know that saying this kills me, pardon the pun." He gave a shaky laugh. Trust Tonks to joke about death. "But when the time comes, if the right person comes along … I want you to love again."_

_He recoiled, the promise forgotten. "What? No! There's no one else in this world for me, and besides, don't talk stupid. You're going to get better. I'll make you better."_

_Tonks smiled weakly. She reached out with her hand, but it wavered, so he grabbed it, holding it to his lips. "It's just us, baby. We don't have to … keep pretending. I want you to promise me … that if you find someone, you won't hold back."_

"_Nym, I could never love another. Never!" he protested vehemently. The pain must have been making her delirious._

"_You can. I know you. You have more love inside you … than anyone else I know. The kids need a mother … and you need someone to pick up your dirty pants from the bathroom floor."_

_Charlie smiled against his will, blinking away tears. He would tell her whatever she wanted to hear if it made her feel better, but he knew she was the only woman he would ever have in his life._

_They fell silent, Tonks into what appeared to be an uneasy sleep and Charlie in silent begging, pleading to any deities out there. He kissed her hands, her cheeks, her hair, her lips, her eyelids. His eyes roamed the long-memorized contours of her face and body, noting everything from the dent in her bottom lip to the nearly-faded scar on her neck._

_When she opened her eyes again, they simply gazed at each other for a long time. When she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper. "I love you, Charlie. And … I dare you."_

_I dare you._

They were thirty-one, and those were the last words she said to him.

Several years later, Charlie had finally settled into some semblance of normality. He never would have gotten through that first year if it hadn't been for his mother and Andromeda, but slowly he regained control of his life. They visited her grave once a month, and as he promised, he told them all the stories (except, of course, the ones even she would never have told). Sometimes he worried that their only memories would be from stories, but they surprised him. When Will was sick he liked to curl up with a certain blanket because it reminded him of Mummy, and when Callie was allowed to pick out her new shoes, she chose pink and informed him that it was Mummy's favorite color. For his part, Charlie saw Tonks every day, not only in Callie's morphing or Will's heart-shaped face, but in phrases they used, in the twinkling of their eyes, in their easy laughter. Over time it became less of an ache, although he knew he'd never feel complete again. And Charlie never dwelt on the second part of her request.

He had the day off, and Charlie headed to Diagon Alley to run some errands. He picked up new potions supplies, bought owl treats, and then went to the florist. Mum was sick, and even though it was nothing serious, he thought some flowers would cheer her up.

"Not those," a voice interrupted as he reached for a simple bouquet.

He turned. A short, pixie-like woman stood behind him, smiling. She was attractive, he noticed, and he waited for the usual twinge of guilt that accompanied those feelings. "No?" he asked. "What's wrong with these?"

"They're the type you give your wife when you don't know how to say 'I'm sorry,'" she replied, absently arranging a nearby bouquet. "You're not here for that."

"And how do you know that?"

She tapped her nose. "You work here long enough, you develop a sixth sense. Besides, you aren't wearing a ring." Charlie flushed, feeling the place where his ring used to be. He'd only taken if off a year ago. "Let me guess. You're here because someone is ill."

"My mother," he admitted. "How did you do that?"

"I'll let you in on a secret," she said, dropping her voice confidentially. "I'm magic."

The shop was in the middle of Diagon Alley, and both laughed. She strolled through the store, furrowing her brow, before stopping at a large, rather exuberant bouquet. "This one."

He frowned doubtfully. It looked like something the twins would have chosen, with exotic, wildly colorful flowers. "I don't know."

"Trust me. It's not run of the mill, so she'll know you put some thought into it, and it's bright and cheerful. Just the thing." She held out the bouquet and winked. "Go on. I dare you."

_I dare you._

Charlie froze, and a million images and words from the last twenty years flew through his mind. He saw Tonks, not as he had last seen her, wasting away in a hospital bed, but strong, young, and happy. She smiled, that challenge twinkling in her eyes, and slowly she vanished. He closed his eyes, hearing her words. And then Charlie took the dare.


End file.
